rowell



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. G. HOWELL. CAR AND DEVICE FOR OPERATING AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCHES.

No. 434,889. Patented Aug. 19, 1890.

NVENTIJR (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. B. 0. HOWELL.

CAR AND DEVICE FOR OPERATING AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCHES. No. 434,889. Patented Aug. 19, 1890.

1) Ti WIT w |N\/ ENT DR- WW .1 /4M: v w m (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

B. O. ROWELL. UAR AND DEVICE FOR OPERATING AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCHES. No. 434,889. Patented Aug. 19, 189 0.

WITNESSES- INVENTEIR.

% paw mzq/fiw ms 00., FHOTO'LIYHEL, WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC BENTON C. ROl/VELL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROIVELL AMERICAN SIVITCI-I COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,889, dated August 19, 1890. Application filedApril 11,1889. Serial No. 306,778. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENTON C. ROWELL, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in the Devices Attached to Railway-Cars for Operating Automatic Switches, of which the following is a specification.

1n railway-cars propelled by electricity the space between the wheels thereof isoccupied bythe electrical motors and mechanism used in connection therewith to propel the cars, in consequence of which there is no available space upon-the axles in which to apply devices for operating automatic switches, which become a necessity when other means of propulsion than that of horse-power are used. My improvements, therefore, are most advantageous and especially applicable to cars propelled by electricity or other motive power than horses, although they may be used to great advantage in the latter case.

.My invention consists in the improved construction of the switch-operating devices and in attaching them to the axle-boxes of the car by means of a frame secured to the cups orbearings of the lower ends of the car-sprin gs in a substantial manner, which frame also serves as a means for supporting a scraper, plow, orfender in a position which will be constant with relation to the rails over which the car passes.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of one end of a car, showing one wheel, the manner in which I attach to the axle-box the frame for holding a plow or fender, and the switch-operating arm, and the devices by which such arm is operated from the platform at the end of the car, the platform being broken away; also an automatic switch mechanism in section beneath the car. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same portion of the car and the same devices, with a part of the bottom of the car broken away. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same portion of the car and the same devices that are shown in Fig. 1.

Similar letters in the several figures indicate the same part of the eontrivance.

A is the car-body; B, an axle-box; C, the frame on one side of the car attached to the axle-box by means of hangers h, which support the switchoperating arms e e, as also a plow or fender D. The hangers b are attached to the cups or bearings c of the carsprings. V

f f are the levers which connect the arms 6 c with the reciprocating sliding rods 9. These rods are supported in guides h h, which are fastened to t he car-body, and between them there is a slotted boss or enlargement 11' upon each rod, to which the levers f f arepivoted. The space between the guides h 72 should be just enough to allow the boss it" to move a sufficient distance to carry the switch-operating arm from the position occupied by the one marked e to that occupied by the one marked 6. For the purpose of throwing the arms e e down into the perpendicular position occupied by e, which is requisite to operate the switch, a chain or rope (Z, preferably of wire, is attached to the bosst' or z" and passed around a grooved pulley It or k in a block attached to the bottom of the car. Thence it is passed around another grooved pulley Z or Z, near the end of the car, and thence to a hand-lever m or m, pivoted to the end or the dash-board of the car, as at n. WVhen the hand-lever is up in the position of that marked m, the rod gwill be pulled back until the boss i rests against the guide h, as shown and this, through the rod f, will turn the arm 6 upon its pivot to the position shown in the drawings. Then the hand lever is thrown down into the position indicated by m by means of a spring 0 acting upon the sliding rod, it will be drawn forward to the position illustrated by g, and thus, through the lever f, the switch-operating arm will be drawn into the position indicated by 6-.

By attaching the ropes (Z to the hand-levers m m a short distance from their pivotal point n, and providing a stop p,I havefound that when the hand-lever is raised and pressed against the stop it Will remain in that position without other meansof holding it, for the reason that the point at which the rope is attached to the lever is carried past the center of the pivot n. It may be found desirable, however, to turn the ends of the crosspiece of the stop 19 inward a little, as at q, Fig'. 2, so that they will bear against the handlever when it is in an upright position, as illustrated 'by m.

In the drawings I have shown two switchoperating arms attached to the supportingfi'ame upon the same side of the car, by which means the switch can be turned in either direction, and if in making a round trip a car is turned end for end, as is often the case on street-railways, it will be necessary to have similar devices attached to the car upon the opposite side and at the other end thereof, and this also will be necessaryif it is required to turn the car to the right when going in one direction and to the left when going in the other, or vice versa. I have also illustrated a convenient and comparatively inexpensive manner of attaching the supporting-frame C to the axle-boxes- -that is, by extending the cups or' car-spring sockets and bolting the hangers Z2 thereto ,but the hangers and cups may be cast in one piece.

The. switch unechanism should be so arranged that when thedriver. or operator upon the carldesires to'set the switch so .as to turn the "car onto a track to the right he has only to raise the hand-lever at his right hand,

whichwill throw .theoperating arm e downinto the position shown inthe drawings, where it will depress the projecting switch-actuating plunger as the car :passes; and in the same; mannerthehand-lever at theleft hand should I be raised Whenit is idesiredto turn the car upon :-a leftehand track. The supporting;

frame 0 may also be utilized to carry-a :brush in front of the wheels .to clear the'track of snow or small obstructions.

The benefits of my improved construction are that it can be. easily and economically applied to cars already built and without changing them in any manner,.and also by attaching the said frame to the axle-boxes the plow, the rail-brushes, and the switch-operating arms all maintain a constant relation to the ground and rails, irrespective of' the tilting of the car-body upon its springs.

I claim- 1. Devices for operating automaticswitches from a railway-car,- oonsisting of a switchactuating arm pivoted to a support attached to its axle-box,,a-rodconnecting-said armzand a sliding rod held inguidesupon the caiy-and a-lever pivoted at the end of thecar within control of the operator thereon,and:a counteracting spring, both connected with-said rod to give 'it' reciprocating motion all combined in the manner substantially as described.

2. The combination of an automaticswitchoperating devicewitha frame supportedupon the axle-boxes of v a railway-car by (a rigidattachment to thecar-spring' bearings,-substan-' tially as described.

BENTON C. HOWELL. Witnesses:

,J. PARKER, R; L. ROBERTS. 

